I was a bit surprized by the findings. The lowest report RAM was 16GB on a laptop other wise no reported values less than 32Gb. With many folks in the 64, 128 and 256 Ram reported.
I have run 16GB on my DAW. I just ordered 16 GB more for a total of 32 GB. The new 16GB of RAM cost 60USD. A modest price to pay.
How about you. What are you packing in your music machine.
I'm running a MB that will support 4 cores and a butt load of RAM.... however.....
I'm on a 32 bit XP Pro OS and therefore only have..... (gulp) .... 4 gig in the machine.....because that's all the OS can access.
But on a happy note.... I have never had any issues loading any of the projects, recording, and processing into real time the synths and FX that I have in the machine.
I know that one of these days I will have to venture into the 64 bit world and when I do.... I will do it right. But for now..... yeah.... I'm making music with 4GB of RAM....and it's cogitating smoothly.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
16 in one, 32 in the other, but I'm not doing video processing either. Just music.
Task Manager has a Performance tab that will easily show you whether your RAM is getting taxed or not, and it comes built in with Windows. Right-click in the task bar and take a look. If your RAM is at 90% or more, may want to think about it .. if your hard drive starts stressing when the RAM gets tight you definitely want to think about increasing RAM (the swap file is working hard to keep RAM supplied, meaning RAM is now offloading and reloading data from the drive which slows everything down).
A quick way to check where any bottlenecks are happening is the free Task Manager in Windows. It will also show which processes are eating up the RAM or processor very quickly, so a good tool to know about.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Task Manager has a Performance tab that will easily show you whether your RAM is getting taxed or not, and it comes built in with Windows. Right-click in the task bar and take a look. If your RAM is at 90% or more, may want to think about it .. if your hard drive starts stressing when the RAM gets tight you definitely want to think about increasing RAM (the swap file is working hard to keep RAM supplied, meaning RAM is now offloading and reloading data from the drive which slows everything down).
A quick way to check where any bottlenecks are happening is the free Task Manager in Windows. It will also show which processes are eating up the RAM or processor very quickly, so a good tool to know about.
I did not know that. Thanks. With my 16GB, my memory shows 41% with essential nothing running other than Chrome to type this message. I can't wait to see the value when I load up Reaper with a selection of NI orchestral libraies.
32 but as we’ve been creating more complex music videos of late I’m going to upgrade to 64. Cheap and takes about 10 minutes on my Mac.
Bud
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
Task Manager has a Performance tab that will easily show you whether your RAM is getting taxed or not, and it comes built in with Windows. Right-click in the task bar and take a look. If your RAM is at 90% or more, may want to think about it .. if your hard drive starts stressing when the RAM gets tight you definitely want to think about increasing RAM (the swap file is working hard to keep RAM supplied, meaning RAM is now offloading and reloading data from the drive which slows everything down).
A quick way to check where any bottlenecks are happening is the free Task Manager in Windows. It will also show which processes are eating up the RAM or processor very quickly, so a good tool to know about.
I did not know that. Thanks. With my 16GB, my memory shows 41% with essential nothing running other than Chrome to type this message. I can't wait to see the value when I load up Reaper with a selection of NI orchestral libraies.
30-40% is normal. Like I said, if you start pushing 90% or so you may want to deal with it. Glad I learned someone something today. That's always a good feeling. I am at 32% normally (just browsing) and it will jump a little with the DAW running .. I doubt a test comparing RAM while just browsing would reveal much; test it with the DAW running and adding some stress before/after, then you'll know if there was value *for you.
If you want to get more in depth with the system, checkout Resource Manager .. it is also free from MS but may require you downloading it so it shows up, depending on your version of Windows The second image is of current CPU effort running 8 track RB file with a few VST/VSTis .. not much difference, system is not stressed with 16 GB Ram, so far - only at about 30% RAM and nothing else stressing
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
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With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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